Quote of the Day

“The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.”  

H.L. Mencken

Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man

John Martyn with Eddi Reader - He Got All The Whiskey

Right-wing Arkansas Legislature at Work

I see while the governor was attending a national governor's association meeting, the Lt. Governor, Mark Darr, a republican, signed a bill making a list of people who can carry weapons secret. This is information that has been public. The governor called it "inappropriate" that he signed it in his short absence. Frankly, I would have moved his desk into the street and told him to kiss my ass and never, ever, do that again. But that's me.

The Crying Rich

You hear it in the Village all the time. "I can't believe the money we're spending on entitlement programs. The minimum wage does not need to be raised. These freeloaders need to go to work. Our health-care system is fine. Just another thing they want for free."

I wish I could only nod, but no, I have to talk back. "If you think these people are getting so much, how about you trade places with one of them. I'll go down to Hot Springs and find someone who is homeless. I'm sure they'll be glad to trade places with you for a month." The fact of the matter is, these rich guys wouldn't last two days without their pocket full of money. They are all programmed into right-wing Republicanism. "The hell with the poor, the rich deserve all the breaks."

It's hard to deal with this nonsense day in and day out. We are beginning to think we made a mistake moving here. I don't mind a little of it, but a constant diet of it makes me nauseous. I still need to find something in Hot Springs to occupy some of my time. I've been slow to do this. I need to get off my butt and look for something I can get involved with. We're going to try the Baby Boomers club. Hopefully that will help, although baby boomers are not all immune to right-wing ideology.

This is a good place to live, with lots of things to do. We have met some great people. But the lack of diversity is troubling. White, Christian, and military oriented is the mantra. While none of that is in-and-of itself bad, there is more to life than someone who is white, Christian, ex-military, pro-gun, and worried that the poor are taking all their money. There's only so much of that my soul can take.

MY TOP TEN NEW FAVORITE SONGS

Boomers love music. I am no exception. My son is a musician, so I keep up with the new stuff. Here are my favorites, in no particular order:

1. "Little Lion Man," Mumford and Sons
2. "Holy Water," Big and Rich
3. "Murder in the City," Avett Brothers
4. "Whoa Mule," Black Crows
5. "The Dreaming Tree," Dave Matthews
6. "The General,"  Dispatch
7. "Old Enough,"  The Raconteurs
8. "The Stone," Phillip Phillips
9. "The Boy Who Couldn't Hoe Corn,"  Alison Krauss and Union Station
10. "He Got All The Whiskey," John Martyn and Eddi Reader (only on YouTube)

There you have it. Add some of your own. As the wise sage Bob Marley said, "One good thing about music,when it hits you, you feel no pain." Good advice for those of us who are getting older.

SOME DEFINITIONS

• Republican: A Republican is a person who loves big business, and is willing to finance them with our tax dollars. Republicans tend to favor war and s strong military. They dislike helping those in need. Most Republican politicians are more interested in being re-elected than they are in governing. When left to their own devises, a Republican will always screw you. Never bend over in front of one.
• Democrat: (see Republican).
• Conservative: While liberals tend to look forward, a conservative prefers to look backwards for answers to today's problems. Yesterday looks so much better to them than today or tomorrow. Being a conservative is not necessarily bad, it just seems like such a waste of time.
• Liberal: A liberal most recently has been a person who is trying to behave like a moderate Republican, but who isn't very good at it. Today's liberals hate to be called liberal. You can't blame them. Who would want to be labeled as being against capital punishment, war, torture, being pro-choice, supporting separation of church and state, speaking out against poverty injustice, corporate greed, racism, sexism, and fighting for a sustainable environment? No one seems to want any of those things on their political record.
• Idiot: An idiot is a person who does dumb things, but not so dumb of a  thing that they would be considered a nit wit. You can work with an idiot, but you have to use real simple words, like, Hello, Mr. Congressman, or You are a director of what?
• Stupid: Stupid refers to the simplest of dummies. Many people do stupid things. Not all of them are necessarily stupid, but probably.
• Nit Wit: This is a person who is not to be confused with an idiot or someone who is just plain dumb. A nit wit is really dumb. Death sentence dumb.
• Moron: A moron has passed by being an Idiot, just plain stupid, or being a nit wit. A moron has all those traits, plus the fact that we can't be sure they are human. Most right-wing, Christian, Republicans would be in this category.
• Right-wing, Republican, Christian Soldiers: A right-wing, Republican, Christian Soldier generally is white, Christian, male, a Republican over the age of 50, and quite possibly has had a lobotomy at one time or another. Right-wing Christian Soldiers believe the Bible to be the one and only true word of God, Christianity to be the only religion eligible to get you into Heaven. They read the Bible literally, except that part which talks about coveting your neighbors ass, and all show signs of having been potty trained in a rather harsh manner. When you cross politics with religion, you get aright-wings Christian Soldier, capable of the most idiotic notions know to humankind, like stem-cell research being bad, or war being noble, or abortion being immoral. Moronic things like that.

Yoga Wlll Turn Kids Into Godless Sun-Worshipping Pagans, Lawsuit Charges | Common Dreams

Yoga Wlll Turn Kids Into Godless Sun-Worshipping Pagans, Lawsuit Charges | Common DreaMore 

More right-wing trash. They never miss an opportunity to show their vast stupidity.

Missouri Is Brilliant: Make Gun Control A Felony, Shoot Gun Control Bills, Teach First-Graders the Same | Common Dreams

Missouri Is Brilliant: Make Gun Control A Felony, Shoot Gun Control Bills, Teach First-Graders the Same | Common Dreams

Makes you ashamed to be an American.

Learned Sayings From The Naked Dancing Llama

• It takes a village to raise a stink.
• In the Spring, things begin to grow. I can only hope.
• Mother Nature is capable of enormous blinders. Just take a look in the mirror.
• Money is at the heart of all politicians.
• Hiding behind gates will not help your heart to grow or keep you any safer.
• Trying to keep people from using drugs is not for the faint of heart.
• I could have danced all night, providing you with but a glimpse of the miracles endowed on The Naked Dancing Llama.

Hitchhiking Prisoners

I was driving by one of our Arkansas prisons the other day when I noticed this sign-DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS. The signs were directly adjacent to the prison. If one was inclined to pick up a hitchhiker in this area, you would have to be:

1. The dumbest person alive.
2. A relative of said hitchhiker.
3. A needy female looking for someone to save.

Sunday Morning Sermon

Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man...living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you.

Quote of the Day

“The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, and forgiveness.”  

Dalai Lama XIV

My Top Ten Favoite Rock & Roll Songs (old list)

My Top Ten Favoite Rock & Roll Songs (old list)

1. "A Day In The Life" The Beatles
2. "Tales of Brave Ulysses," Cream
3. "White Rabbit," Jefferson Airplane
4. "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights," Meatloaf
5. "Fat Man in the Bathtub," Little Feat
6. "Lady of the Island," Crosby, Stills, Nash
7. "Hotel California," Eagles
8. "Light My Fire,"  Doors
9. "Stairway to Heaven,"  Led Zeppelin
10. "Comfortably Numb,"  Pink Floyd

Sure, a lot of others could be on that list. Let us know some of your favorites. Let's see what you got. Most of these early songs are from the 60's and 70's. A newer list is to come.

Oh Brother

There is nothing worse than listening to rich, white people whine about how poor, black people are stealing from them. It seems to be a Hot Springs Village anthem.

Congress: End Endless War and Stop Becoming “the Evil That We Deplore” | Common Dreams

Congress: End Endless War and Stop Becoming “the Evil That We Deplore” | Common Dreams

Quote of the Day

“This Sarah Palin phenomenon is very curious. I think somebody watching us from Mars—they would think the country has gone insane.”
Noam Chomsky

Republicans Are Always Good For a Laugh

l have to admit, the Republicans in Congress are always good for a laugh. After getting stomped in the election, they think the public will blame Obama for the impending government cuts rather than their own incompetence in Congress. With Obama's recent popularity, they are about to see their own ranking fall below that of a slug. This is good. Basically, the tea baggers are about to be thrown back into Boston Harbor. This will be bad for the fish, but good for us. Republican obstructionism is about to become extinct. Oh, happy days.

Wall Street’s Misdeeds Cost Trillions, But It’s Main Street Who’s Getting Nickel-and-Dimed | Common Dreams

Wall Street’s Misdeeds Cost Trillions, But It’s Main Street Who’s Getting Nickel-and-Dimed | Common Dreams

The Wal-Mart Way

• They oppose unionization. They close stores rather than negotiate a contract.
• Unfair competition with small businesses. They've become so big, no one can match their price.
• They are into homogenized globalization. What's good for America is good for the rest of the world.
• Unfair treatment of employees, particularly woman.
• Unfair buying practices. They dictate the price they will pay. They have driven many business owners out of business by demanding low prices, and inferior quality.
• Endorse sweatshop clothing. They've even at times denied this, in spite of clear evidence to the contrary.
• Unfair treatment of non-Christian would-be hires, employees, and makers of products.
• They will take any tax breaks they can get from communities they build in, in spite of being the world's richest retail company and are owned by the world's richest family.
• They've taken on a cavalier "don't challenge us" attitude. They have a security system bigger and better than some countries, and a fleet of high paid lawyers ready to challenge anyone who stands up against them.
• They buy low, sell low, and pay their employees low. They are, by-and-large, pretty low.

Ten Ways To Help Yourself Stay Calm and Live Better

Ten Ways To Help Yourself Stay Calm and Live Better

1. Don't watch the news.
2. Don't read any newspapers. Most are owned by large corporations and are about worthless.
3. Live as simple as you can. The older you get, the easier you need to make things. 
4. Don't overuse credit cards. Pay them off each month. Once they get their fingers on you, they won't let go.
5. Establish a spiritual practice in your life. It doesn't need to be mainline.
6. Read a lot. Fiction, non-fiction. Dump the dime-store novels. 
7. Don't buy all the high-tech stuff coming out. They only want your money. They won't do anything for your quality of life.
8. Take care of your body and health as best you can. Millions are without health insurance. Go to the doctor or emergency room when you need to . Pay $5 a month on your bill. The only way these people are going to implement universal health-care is if they go broke serving those who can't pay.
9. Don't drink too much or use drugs and expect to have a calm and happy life.
10. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, unless, of course, you happen to be a masochist or sadist.

Quote of the Day

“Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.”
  St. Francis of Assisi

Requirements To Live in a Gated Community

• You got to have money. Lots of money. So much money you don't care if you pay $300,000 for a $150,000 house.
• You have to despise diversity and love sameness.
• It helps to be white.
• You have to be fearful of just about everything.
• It helps if you're a Republican.

The Joy of Gardening

• I can grow anything bigger than you.
• Creeping Charlie is really kind of pretty.
• Rabbits never eat weeds.
• I like those $40 rocks that you can buy for your garden. They engrave them with words like joy, love, peace, welcome. I just magic marked a few of my own. I went with "die rabbits," "grow, you stupid vegetables," and "Stay out of my garden, deer." Mine somehow seem more practical.
• My garden seems to need a lot of water in the summer, right when we don't have any.
• Arkansas gardening is very difficult. There is no top-soil. Nor is there any bottom-soil.
• Ends up, the farmers market is much cheaper.

LIFE

Life has a way of waking you up to those things that are most important. Relationships, friends, family, good health, simplicity, sustainability, being able to sleep at night, helping others. What is it that's so hard about these things? Why do we wander into places where we don't belong?

Intelligent Design Is Stupid

This one is at the top of right-wing stupidity. Oh well, I guess you can't blame these right-wing Christians. They don't want anyone to tell them that their beliefs are based on mythological archetypes. That would break their little Dark Age hearts.

Quote of the Day

“See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time.”
Robin P. Williams

Ways to Trick Your Brain

Ways to Trick Your Brain

• First, you need to make sure you have one. Count backward from 100 by 7. If you are from Arkansas, you can start from seven.
• Vote Republican. That will definitely trick your brain. In fact, you may not even need one.
• Your brain has a left side and a right side. Now it gets tricky. If you are a liberal, you are likely right-brain dominant. If you are a right-wing Republican, well, we've already been over that.
• Tell yourself you can do anything, then jump off a ten story building. This may trick more than just your brain.
• Look in a mirror and pretend you see someone who really has their act together. This is really tricky.
• Now, give your brain a rest. Stop thinking altogether. There, now you're back to normal.

Peever Law #32

Justice is one of life’s finer purchases.

Sunday Morning Lessons

Sunday Morning Lessons

My quest for gold: The alchemists quest was to turn base metals, i.e. lead, into gold. In a slightly altered, somewhat perverse, modern variation, my quest is to turn dog poop into gold. I'd settle for silver. Owning a 90 pound dog, I have plenty of material to work with. About as good as I've done so far is getting the trash man to cuss when I put the poop out with my other trash. When he squishes it all together, I can hear him cussing two blocks away. Come to think of it, I guess that is kind of a golden moment.

Quote of the Day

"One way or another, we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contemporary life, and dedicate ourselves to that."  
Joseph Campbell

Sunday Morning Lessons

Sunday Morning Lessons

I can remember one particular Sunday morning as vividly as I can remember yesterday. I was 12. After Sunday School, my father would take me to the local tavern. In a German community, this was basically a right of passage. I learned how to play pool and the pinball machine. This particular Sunday morning, I learned a lesson abut life I never forgot. A black man, I would guess around 60, stopped by the tavern to buy a six-pack on the way to a nearby creek to do some fishing. (Another trait of a southern Illinois German community: It' was all white).  The other guys at the bar, all friends of my father, encouraged the bartender to send him on his way without any beer. My father walked over to the cooler, got out a six-pack, handed it to the gentleman, who proceeded to walk out. I'm not sure that they exchanged any words. At least any that I could hear from clattering of the pinball machine. And no one in the bar said a word, one way or the other. What strikes me most about the incident, then and now, was the silence. No one saying a word, including my father. Ever. I was to make of it what I would.

Quotes of the Day

“Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn't then it is of no use to us.”

“The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.”
Carlos Castaneda

Some Things You Should Know by Age 65

Some Things You Should Know by Age 65

• Don't skimp on the toilet paper.
• Never trust anyone wearing a long-sleeved, white shirt in 90 degree weather.
• Never take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time.
• Showing off body parts is a trick that eventually wears thin.
• Never lick a steak knife.
• Life insurance is a no win situation.
• If someone is nice to you, but not to the waitress, walk away.
• Marriage is not a fairy tale, it's an ordeal.
• No matter what you think about growing old, or how many hair implants you have, or how much plastic surgery you get, its going to happen. Don't make yourself look ridiculous in the process.
• Not every day is going to be good.
• Old men fall for younger woman. Old women get even.
• Communities are not built, they're lived.
• Bad happens. Disasters occur. Sorrow abounds. But you can chose to live happily.

Dying Is Not All It's Cracked Up To Be

It's been 13 years since I almost bit the bullet, passed on, crossed over, croaked, bought the farm, kicked the bucket. We joke about it, until it stares us in the face. Death, that is. Then it's not so funny. You come face to face with being here one minute, gone the next. I sometimes wonder how things would have been had I died. You eventually come to a painful realization that things would have gone on without you. The most you can muster up is, you hope you would be remembered. Your only shot at immortality...being remembered. The question becomes, remembered for what?

How Can You Live Without Knowing These Things?

• We only use 10% of our brain capacity.

• It is impossible to lick your elbow.

• Most people are smarter than politicians.

• Half of all Americans live within 25 miles of a Wal-Mart.

• If you spell out numbers, you have to get to a thousand before you get to an A.

•  Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace.

• Most conservatives reserve their brainpower for later. Much later.

• Politics is a necessary evil. So is liverwurst and Limburger cheese.

• Golf stands for: Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden.

Hightower Lowdown | The drone-industrial complex wants 30,000 eyes in the sky spying on us Americans by 2020

Hightower Lowdown | The drone-industrial complex wants 30,000 eyes in the sky spying on us Americans by 2020

This is what we pay them for.

Peever Law #97

The more CEO's that show up for a meeting, the more likely it's a Republican National Convention.

Quote of the Day

“The trouble with practical jokes is that very often they get elected.”  

Will Rogers

POA Board Candidates

At first glance, I've got Atkins and Zabroski. Atkins owns more property than I wold like to see for a director, but does seem to be asking a lot of good questions. His question about how the board voted on the General Managers tenure is right-on. They can discuss personnel matters in private session, but they have to vote in public. A three minute talk rule for visitors is disgustingly arrogant. If he voted to hire the last general manager, I could easily change my mind. Zabroski has a working man's background, not management. This place has got way too many managers.
It's early, and this may change. We'll see how things go. It's a lineup of all males, which is not good, way too much management experience, which is never good, all older, which of course you can hardly get around in the Village, and all, I'm betting, are pretty rigid and rule oriented, given a lot of military experience. I'd dump the whole lot for two street people in Hot Springs, but I suppose that ain't going to happen.

Corporate America: Saving the Twinkie but Not the Workers | Common Dreams

Corporate America: Saving the Twinkie but Not the Workers | Common Dreams

Welcome to 1898.

Peever Law #101

If you're hearing voices and they're not making much sense, there must be right-wing Republicans around.

The Capital is Smoking-Something

The Republican dominated legislature is getting down to business. They are working on a restrictive abortion law and allowing everyone to carry guns, including to church, in secrecy. Oh, it's good to have a House full of goons. They took up a right-wing agenda before they got comfortable in their seats. It will be up to the Governor to veto all these bills. Hopefully, they can't be overridden. At any rate, it is all very disappointing. Arkansas can't fall much further down on the list of non-progressive states, but I'm guessing we'll be at the bottom of the list before this is over.

'Kill List' Document Outlines When US Can Target Its Own Citizens in Drone Strikes | Common Dreams

'Kill List' Document Outlines When US Can Target Its Own Citizens in Drone Strikes | Common Dreams

Drones come to the states. Hello military-industrial complex.

Peever Law #26

No matter your status in life, keep your head up and don't be afraid to tell them to kiss your ass.

Quotes of the Day

Quotes of the Day

• If it requires a uniform, it's a worthless endeavor.
• You know the good part about all those executions in Texas? Fewer Texans.
• I know a transsexual guy whose only ambition is to eat, drink, and be Mary.
• I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed.
• I don't like to think of laws as rules you have to follow, but more as suggestions.
• I never joined the Boy Scouts. I don't trust any organization that has a handbook. 
• I would never want to be a member of a group whose symbol was a man nailed to two pieces of wood.
• Have you noticed that most of the women who are against abortion are women you wouldn't want to screw in the first place? There's such balance in nature.
• Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man...living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish, where you will live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money.

         George Carlin

A Glimpse of God

• A sunrise.
• The ocean
• Mountains
• An unexpected hello.
• A redwood tree.
• A water lily.
• Someone busting their butt for minimum wage.
• A person sleeping on a park bench.
• When you look into the eyes of the oppressed, the lonely, the forgotten, there you'll see God.

Full Show: Are Drones Destroying our Democracy? | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

Full Show: Are Drones Destroying our Democracy? | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

The Paranoia of the Superrich and Superpowerful | Common Dreams

The Paranoia of the Superrich and Superpowerful | Common Dreams

Don't read this.

Shoot a Terrorist For Christ

I'm surprised I haven't seen that message on some of our church bulletin boards. That's how bad it's getting. Having been in the ministry, I'm pretty much embarrassed by what I see being pawned off as Christianity nowadays. The Church has steadily grown irrelevant as our need for spirituality has become increasingly necessary. Just about every war going on has something to do with religion, one thinking theirs is bigger than the others. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if they just killed one another, but they got to drag the rest of us into it. Now we got drones flying around everywhere, dropping bombs wherever they think there is a bad guy. Unfortunately, there are often innocent citizens nearby. Frankly, I think we are all the sons and daughters of God, and as such, have no business killing one another. When we do, we are destroying a piece of the divine. And I got a notion that's not good.

Peever Law #65

Most men vote the way their father did. Most women vote the way their husbands do. Or so it's said.

The Lamenting of a Soon-To-Be 65 Year Old

• I got up this a.m. and took my pills. I now use a pill box so I can remember whether I did or not. Oh brother....
• I went to the bathroom. The older you get, the more important this event becomes. A good bowel movement is now just about as thrilling as sex.
• I walked down to the end of the drive to get the paper. Seems a mad man in Texas shot two people. Confirms my notion that everyone carrying guns is not good.
• I fed the dog. Ninety pounds. Nice little fella. We have group therapy every morning. I usually get to talk the most.
• I fixed myself some oatmeal for breakfast. I shape it in the form of a donut. Old habit.
• Time for a little reading. I now use a Kindle. You can make the print real big.
• A little walk. They say walking is good for you. On the other hand, so is moderate drinking. So I walked to the tavern.
• An afternoon nap. I'm starting to enjoy this. I told my wife my doctor said I had to so this, which may be a little misleading.
• Up just in time to watch reruns of NCIS. I love Abby, and I think Ziva has the hots for me.
• Dinner time. I used to love dinner. Fried chicken, steak with gravy, french fries, and ice cream and/or cake. Tonight it's tasteless something with no salt, fake potatoes, and spinach. No-fat pudding is a real dessert treat.
• After dinner, a little computer work. Answer e-mails, look over the news for potential peeves, and look over the stock market. I see a stock I bought for 9 and sold at 12 is now at 52. Oh well, it's only money.
• Time for meds and off to bed. The pharmacist and I are becoming good friends. I pay for his vacation, he sends me a postcard.
• Bedtime. It was another hard day. I'll share with you my journal entry: "Another hard day at work. Hardly time to eat. Busy signing autographs and investing money from my new book. Dinner this evening with my wife. Wine, steaks, and dancing. Went home and make passionate love for 2 hours. Finally tired. Will sleep 5 hours and run 4 miles at 5am. Life is good."

A Conversation With The Dark Side

A Conversation With The Dark Side

• Eve would have been better off with the snake.
• Hell is no further down the road than the first hungry child, or the first homeless person you see, or the lonely shut-in with no visitors.
• So now you're hiding behind gates?
• Dying is not near as hard as living.
• Killing and destruction have always been popular with you humans.
• There is no necessity that the human race survive. Time could care less.
• You think you know what The Truth is? How is it you think you are the privileged one?
• If you find yourself in a state of mental confusion, where things just don't seem to add up, welcome to The Dark Side.

Churches

Churches

Churches should pay taxes. Today, many churches play politics better than they play church.

Quote of the Day

“Lucifer protests he was never to blame for inducing anyone to sin, and that he’s never had an interest in owning souls: 'They die, and they come here – having transgressed against what they believed to be right – and expect us to fulfill their desire for pain and retribution. I don’t make them come here… I need no souls. And how can anyone own a soul? No, they belong to themselves. They just hate to have to face up to it.”
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 4: Season of Mists

Sometimes I Long For The Good-Old-Days

• You got in a car and you didn't have to strap yourself in. And you had some metal around you.
• There were toilets that you never had to flush.
• When you were sitting in a theater, no one's phone rang.
• You could go to any doctor you wanted. Paying was most generally optional and didn't always include money.
• When you called someone, you talked to a person, not a machine.
• You dealt with local companies that you could trust, or at the worst, you could find the owner and choke him or her if necessary.
• You could eat whatever you wanted, and not be make to feel like you were committing suicide.
• Families ate together, prayed together, and make plans to send their kids to summer camp together, while the parents filed for divorce.

Quote of the Day

“I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.”
 Neil Gaiman

Quote of the Day

“Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the 'wall of separation between church and state,' therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.”  

Thomas Jefferson

CHURCH AND HATE

I saw the local Catholic church had their little white crosses out. Unfortunately, I came across this while going to Coronado Center. The blending of Catholic doctrine with political ideology. They call themselves pro-life. This, of course, is very misleading. I assume a priest would also say capital punishment is wrong; that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are wrong; that all our corn crops should be turned into food crops to help eliminate hunger and famine in the world; that the church will adopt any child whose mother they have talked out of getting an abortion, raise and provide for that child until age 18. If any priest meets those conditions, I'll be glad to help him put out those crosses. But that ain't how it works. Those crosses represent men trying to control a woman's body. To dominate, put in her place. They remain anti-abortion, anti-choice crosses. All a priest is doing is spreading hateful nonsense and making women feel guilty for a horrible decision they may have to make. It's not unlike men to do this. Hiding behind a collar does not make it any more legitimate or moral or righteous, or give it any level of religiosity. It only makes it crueler.